The present invention relates to ear defenders comprising an elastic headband and an ear muff arranged on the inside of each leg of the headband.
Ear defenders of this type are widely used all over the world for shutting out noise from the surroundings when noise levels are high. During certain periods of time, the noise level may drop, so that it is preferable not to use the ear defenders. A problem in this connection is how and where to keep the ear defenders, so that they are easily accessible when they are to be used again.
Known ear defenders exist in which this problem has been solved by virtue of the ear defenders being made in such a manner that, when the defenders are not being used, the ear muffs can be folded in, so that they are accommodated inside the headband, after which the defenders as a whole can be put into a pocket. Examples of such ear defenders are disclosed in DE 3332294, CH 534510 and CH 662052. In the case of all these defenders, the function described is achieved by virtue of the ear muffs being connected to the headband via articulated arms.
A disadvantage of these constructions is that the headband then becomes more complicated to manufacture as it consists of a number of parts which have to be assembled in separate operations. The cost of these headbands is thus obviously greater than that of headbands which are manufactured in one piece.
GB 791660 describes ear defenders in which the ear muffs are fastened to the headband by means of a wing nut and a ball joint. Several manufacturing and assembly operations are required, and the defenders obtained cannot be compressed to the necessary extent to be easily put into a pocket or equivalent.
One object of the present invention is to produce ear defenders with a headband made in one piece, in which the ear muffs are mounted directly, allowing the headband, when the ear defenders are not being used, to be compressed and completely surround the ear muffs.
Another object is to produce ear defenders of this type which can be manufactured at very low cost.
According to the present invention, the above-mentioned aims are achieved by means of ear defenders of the type indicated in the first paragraph, in which the ear muffs are arranged displaceably along the insides of the legs from the ends of the legs and so far along the legs that the free ends of the latter can be bent towards and connected to one another, so that the legs completely surround the ear muffs.
Ear defenders of this type can, when not being used, be compressed to such an extent that they can be kept in, for example, a pocket. They can also be manufactured at very low cost.
It is preferred that the legs are made with longitudinal slots and that the ear muffs have guide elements running in the slots. By making the guide elements so that they are rotatable in the slots, the muffs can be rotated in relation to the headband, which inter alia allows the headband to be arranged over the top of the head or around the back of the head as desired by the wearer.
The free end of at least one leg is suitably shaped in such a manner that it can be inserted into and locked in an opening in the other leg. In this way, the headband can be kept compressed the whole time it is not being used.
Further features of the invention emerge from the following patent claims.
The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to the embodiments shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings.